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Prosthetics - an artificial limb many years ago

A

Annie Murray

knowlegable brummie
Can anyone help me with this? I had contact with someone at the prosthetics department at Selly Oak but they have so far not seemed keen to be any help... I am wondering if anyone knows by chance, about the fitting of artificial limbs way back to about 1900 - 1910. I know this developed a lot because of/after WW1 and there were also firms like Salts. But if you lived in the Black Country - nearest hospital Dudley - not to mention having very little money, was there any solution other than getting someone to make something for you, a false lower leg - or doing without? I am thinking of a child here. Any kind of memory anyone has in this sort of area might well be very helpful. Thank you, Annie
 
It may also be worth contacting the Welcome Institute in London. Last time I was there, they had a display of artificial limbs from the past.
 
Thank you - it's not so much the history of the limbs which is reasonably easy to come by, it's wondering about people who were really not well off accessing anything and how and where that might be. I guess I'll have to get on to Selly Oak again as they've been there ages working on prosthetics. Thank you anyway. :)
 
I can remember two or three gents around Erdington who had wooden legs, late forties, early fifties. One used to go to Boldmere St Michaels football and Aston Unity Cricket matches. In the late fifties I went out with a young lady who had a metal hand, always covered with a glove, she could move the fingers etc by using her other hand.

Bob

Written late last night and edited this morning, what was I rambling on about?
 
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Hi Annie, I keep thinking about this. I wonder if they were reliant on the local doctor. There wasn't much available generally for health and if they were really poor they couldn't pay for help could they?
 
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